6 Reasons Blogs are Essential for Businesses in 2022

As a content writer and digital marketer, I get a lot of questions about whether blogging is necessary.

Many businesses question the importance of a blog, which is understandable. Starting and maintaining one takes a lot of work and doesn’t normally provide immediate results. This can be intimidating, especially for small businesses or those with smaller marketing budgets.

But is it worth a worthwhile investment? Yes.

Blogging is a critical element for any business today. Let me explain why:

1. Blogging drives traffic (and new clients) to your website

Would you like more website visitors? Of course, you would! Those visits equal leads who could turn into clients.

But how do people find your site? If they’ve never heard of you, you need a way to be easily discovered.

You might already be receiving traffic from social media, paid advertisements, or an opt-in email list, but it’s not new traffic. They already know of you or opted into getting your emails.

The solution is simple: you can optimize your site for search engines on Google through blogging.

Let me explain.

Chances are that your normal web pages don't get updated all that often. Every time you post a new blog, it adds another indexed page to your site and tells Google that your site is active. It also optimizes your website for Google search results, which gets new people to your site organically.

Your audience can then search for information and find your blog post, driving them right to you and your website.

2. Positions your brand as an industry leader

Blogs don’t just generate content, they help you instill your brand as an expert in the industry.

It’s a platform to share your opinions and ideas with your audience. Over time your readers will start to view you as a thought leader and will return to learn more.

3. Generates quality content for social media

Social media is another key channel to reach your target audience and engage with them, but I know a lot of people who don’t know what to post.

Blog posts are excellent social content. Each time you publish a new article, share it on social and link back to it. Voila! Now you’re increasing your social reach and continuing to drive website traffic. It’s a win-win.

And you can update blogs a year or two after publishing and re-share the content. Just make sure it’s still relevant.

4. Builds trust, authority, and a community with your audience

A solid reputation can’t be beaten. Leveraging a blog allows you to share insightful information. You can tactfully write about your services, new products, and create a strong relationship with prospects. People buy from companies they like, relate to, or know something about. Add in quality content on the specific topics customers want to know about and encourage discussions on social and in blog comments, and you're off to a great start.

Have you ever read an article and thought “wow, this person knows what they’re talking about”? You probably felt safer placing your trust and money in their hands. That’s what a blog provides to your clients as well.

5. Provides meaningful, educational advertising

Instead of the typical “buy now” rhetoric, blog articles give value and share the word on what your company provides. Without being pushy, you may see more conversions.

Let’s face it. Customers are tired of conventional sales tactics, of loud commercials and ads using the same old "get it now before it's gone" lines. A blog is a creative outlet to build a relationship with clever and educational advertising.

Another bonus: If you’re building a blog for all the other reasons here, then these “ads” are already rolled into the blog budget. Nice!

6. Drives long-term results

The biggest concern I hear when discussing the need for a blog is that it won’t generate immediate results. And that’s true. Blogging is part of a long-term strategy. The more quality content you create, the more authority you generate and the more likely you are to begin seeing results. Blogs compound over time.

After posting and sharing an article, you might see an uptick in traffic for a few days, but it will continue to drive new people to your website for years to come.

You may not see a huge return on investment in your first year, but don’t give up. A few years down the road and with a consistent content strategy and your blog could start generating a huge chunk of sales.

In my professional opinion, blogging is vital for modern businesses.

While you may be hesitant to start, consistent publishing combined with strong marketing strategies can give you invaluable benefits.

If you are still wary of beginning your blog or just don’t have the team to handle the quantity of writing needed, there are tons of ways to outsource the work to freelancers. Check out platforms such as Fiverr, Contra, and Upwork. Or post that you’re hiring a freelance writer on LinkedIn, ProBlogger, Indeed, etc. Over time you can build a strong network of writers and have plenty of content at your disposal.

Ready to take the next step with a strong blog strategy? Need a freelance writer to continue generating exceptional posts? Reach out to me on LinkedIn or Contra and let’s get started today.